So, 2 days after doing a double metric century (with a fair amount of climbing)..what to do? Why not ride a 68 mile round trip route from Buellton to Jalama Beach? Yeah, great idea..

Anyway, started by parking in the Park & Ride lot on Santa Rosa Ave/Avenue of the Flags right to the west of the 101. Seemed to be a pretty safe parking spot. Heading west on Santa Rosa Avenue, the scenery was quite nice. Initially, lots of open space, rolling hills and some farms along the way (and somewhat bumpy road surface):

Parts of this section were repaved (probably within the last month or so, as you could still smell the tar!). The newly paved sections are brief respites from what is otherwise a rather bumpy road. I didn’t mind though; the scenery was quite nice. A couple of tasting rooms along the way too…maybe I should have stopped here:

Looked quite inviting! But, sad to say, I hammered on and did not taste a single drop of the nectars offered along Santa Rosa Road. A bit farther and a touch of climbing was encountered. 100-200ft max..but, with a newly repaved section, and a hillside blooming with native flowers, the climb was well worth it (if you can even call that a climb!):

So, finally, after a great 16 miles on Santa Rosa Rd, I turn left on CA-1 for a couple of miles of incredible beauty before intersecting Jalama Rd. You may not find the ocean in this picture, but it is one more reason I consider 1 to be a breathtaking road:

The secluded aspect remains, but the shade quickly disappears (not usually a problem…either the cooler temperatures or the wind will almost always keep you from overheating!). Initially, you meander, then climb, through a beautiful valley (complete with working farms and all):

By the way, I was hurting on the way back. Having definitely not recovered from the double metric two days prior, every mile on the way back (especially sea level [Jalama Beach] to the 1100 ft high point on Jalama Rd) was slow and tough. Regardless, I urge everyone to do this ride…incredibly scenic with some varied terrain. If you don’t want such a long ride, you can always park in Lompoc and make this a 35 mile or so roundtrip. You’ll miss Santa Rosa Road, but you’ll still hit Jalama Rd for some of the most incredible scenery. Can’t go too far wrong either way!